When I’m not chasing down contracts as co-editor of the Forbes Celebrity 100 list, I cover the business of media and entertainment with a focus on the television industry. Since joining Forbes in 2004, my job as a staff writer has taken me from the sidelines of an NFC championship game to live tapings of American Idol; from the soundstage of a Beyonce video to the wings of a Glenn Beck show; from the red carpets at award shows to the corner offices on back lots. I’ve done cover stories for the magazine, interviews for the video network, Q&As for the website and regular posts for the blog. Most recently, the gig has thrust me from my native New York to Los Angeles. I have appeared on regular E! specials as well as on NBC’ Today Show, ABC’ 20/20, CBS’ Early Show, CNBC’ On the Money, Entertainment Tonight, Access Hollywood, Extra and Fox News’ Forbes on Fox. For more on the business of Hollywood (and the occasional basketball-related mentions of my alma mater Duke), follow me on Twitter @LaceyVRose.

Ryan Seacrest, The $60 Million Mogul And Counting

Despite public waffling over his future on the radio, Ryan Seacrest has signed another contract with Clear Channel reportedly worth an estimated $60 million over three years. Like the one before it, the deal grants him control over a portion of ad time where Seacrest is actually peddling products directly. It should also bump the American Idol host’s pre-tax income to about $60 million a year.

When we spoke late last spring, Seacrest was strategically vague about his next steps. “It occupies a lot of time,” he said of his radio commitment at the time. “I don’t think I’ll do it the same way I’ve done it in the past. If I do it again, I’d like to be more entrepreneurial about it.”

Mission accomplished. Though he ultimately decided to increase his commitment, he also signed on to develop new radio content for syndication on both traditional and digital platforms. The latter has been of growing interest for Seacrest, who regularly posts many of his radio segments and conversation topics on his popular website. He will also expand the nationally syndicated iteration of his radio show, On Air with Ryan Seacrest, from three hours to four. What’s more, he has leveraged the opportunity to expand his empire into still other areas. He is expected to form joint ventures with Clear Channel that allow him to explore a record label, TV content, music publishing and a concert series.

As I first reported in our late June feature, Man Without A Shtick, the Atlanta native earns $15 million a year from Idol (part of a three-year contract he signed with the show’s parent, CKX). Radio previously brought in $15 million (the weekday local and national show, plus the weekend’s American Top 40 and that advertising time he sells and profits from). Comcast adds $15 million (E! News, plus celebrity coverage and shows he produces like Keeping Up with the Kardashians). Brand deals with companies like Procter & Gamble, Coca Cola and Microsoft’s search service Bing, contribute another $5 million; and hosting gigs are good for another $1 million (Dick Clark’s New Year’s Rockin’ Eve with Ryan Seacrest, ABC’s Christmas Parade special and frequent subbing on Larry King Live, among others).

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